This Uniquely Wisconsin Winter Festival is For the Trolls

Just west of Madison lies quirky little Mount Horeb. Maybe you’ve visited in the summer to check out their “trollway” and enjoy the Norwegian history. But this weekend is actually a pretty awesome time to check out “The Troll Capitol of the World” for their Scandihoovian Winterfest.

This silly, fun winter festival celebrates the Scandinavian culture and history of the folks that settled in Mount Horeb in the late 1800s.

One of the best traditions of the Scandihovian Festival are the red hats. Worn by nisse in Denmark and Norway and tomte in Sweden, the hats are a symbol of those mischevious, mystical creatures who watched over homes and farms.

The hats also became a sign of resistence during World War II and they can symbolize independence and fellowship. At the Scandihoovian, the hats are a way to gather the community, far and wide. Hats are sold for $10 and the money goes back to supporting the festival, which is fully volunteer-run.

There's also snow shoeing, candlelight cross-country skiing, a fat tire bike race, ice skating, tubing, horse-drawn carriage rides and more to help you brush off the winter blues and having a trolling-good time at this amazing winter festival.